Hello everyone! Today I’m just going to go over a game that I recently had with Tyranids vs. Custodes with their new book to just show some light on the match up and how it felt playing against the golden boys.
First off, as Tyranids I ran Crusher Stampede just because of how fun it is and also because it fits my playstyle so well. Go up, hit hard in melee rinse and repeat. Going into Custodes I knew it was going to be tough just because of all the defensive buffs they can give to a unit that makes it pretty jarring to face off against them. Running some Math into the army, I knew that it was going to take a large amount of my CP and units to take down just a single squad of their bikes and that’s the scariest part of the army in my personal opinion.
Where Custodes stand right now (and with new points changes) I wouldn’t be remised to say that Custodes are probably the best army in the game right now. With Bikes that can scout move if they want, equipped with Salvo’s for a Dark Lance that hits on a 2+ being at 5 wounds, T6 and a shield host where they get a 4+++ from mortals as well as the ability to switch over to any other host for 1cp that’s a tough cookie to crack.
Luckily for me, I only went up against a single bike squad of 3…which posed a pretty glaring issue that I’ll talk about a bit later.
Here are the lists that were brought (Custodes wanted to try out CA changes that were leaked out, I didn’t because showing up that day I would have had to change my entire army with new units that weren’t ready):
Custodes
Expand for Army List
170 Trajan
125 Terminator Captain 15 – Bane of Abominations 5 – Misericordia Praetorian Plate (teleport heroic intervention) | +1 toughness)
175 Bike Captain w/Salvo Launcher 15 – Tip of the Spear
Troops
250 – Sword and Board x5
135 – 3 Guard w/ Spears
135 – 3 Guard w/ Spears
60 – Prosecutors
60 – Prosecutors
60 – Prosecutors
Elites
195 – Terminators
65 – Terminators
150 – Wardens
115 – Vexila in Terminator Armor
Fast Attack
270 – Vertus w/ Salvo Launcher
2000?? No WL traits or relics added (shadowkeepers)
Tyranids
Expand for Army List
++ Battalion Detachment 0CP (Tyranids) [103 PL, 9CP, 1,998pts] ++
+ Configuration +
Army of Renown – Crusher Stampede
Battle Size [12CP]: 3. Strike Force (101-200 Total PL / 1001-2000 Points)
Detachment Command Cost
Hive Fleet: Leviathan
+ Stratagems +
Bounty of the Hive Fleet [-1CP]: 1 Extra Bio-artefact
Progeny of the Hive [-1CP]
+ HQ +
Hive Tyrant [11 PL, 230pts]: Adrenal Glands, Power: Aggressive Surge, Power: Smite, Power: Synaptic Barrier, Relic: Biomorphic Carapace, 2x Two Devourers with Brainleech Worms, Wings
Hive Tyrant [11 PL, -1CP, 235pts]: Adrenal Glands, Monstrous Boneswords, Power: Paroxysm, Power: Smite, Power: The Horror, Relic: Synaptic Hive Blades, Stratagem: Alpha Leader-Beast, Toxin Sacs, Two Devourers with Brainleech Worms, Warlord, Warlord Trait: Rampaging Beast, Warlord Trait: Strategic Adaptation, Wings . Adaptive Physiology: Murderous Size
The Swarmlord [14 PL, 240pts]: Power: Catalyst, Power: Paroxysm, Power: Smite
+ Troops +
Tyranid Warriors [5 PL, 66pts]: Synaptic Link: Bioweapon Bond . Tyranid Warrior: 2x Scything Talons . Tyranid Warrior: 2x Scything Talons . Tyranid Warrior: 2x Scything Talons
Tyranid Warriors [5 PL, 66pts]: Synaptic Link: Bioweapon Bond . Tyranid Warrior: 2x Scything Talons . Tyranid Warrior: 2x Scything Talons . Tyranid Warrior: 2x Scything Talons
Tyranid Warriors [5 PL, 69pts]: Adrenal Glands, Synaptic Link: Bioweapon Bond . Tyranid Warrior: 2x Scything Talons . Tyranid Warrior: 2x Scything Talons . Tyranid Warrior: 2x Scything Talons
+ Elites +
Hive Guard [12 PL, 270pts] . 6x Hive Guard (Impaler): 6x Impaler Cannon
Lictor [2 PL, 37pts]
+ Fast Attack +
Dimachaeron [12 PL, 255pts]
Dimachaeron [12 PL, 255pts]
+ Heavy Support +
Barbed Hierodule [14 PL, 275pts]
++ Total: [103 PL, 9CP, 1,998pts] ++
The list I brought was an all comers Crusher Stampede (pre points changes) that I would feel comfortable taking to any event. I never tailor my lists and just aim to bring something that would work into whatever army I could face off against. The list has a lot of bite with Hive Guard, a murder Flyrant that can ignore invulns, 2 dima’s and a barbed hierodule as the stand out pieces.
Going over to Custodes, when I showed up I immediately understood what needed to die. With no Dreadnoughts like the Telemon (who can get a 1cp transhuman now…uh wow) the only threat the army had to my list was just a single bike squad and Trajann. Everything else in melee combat I would be fine considering they only have 2dmg weapons that get reduced down to 1.
We did player placed terrain as well, and the Custodes player chose to only put a piece of dense terrain on their deployment side just because of how resilient the army. That means turn 1 no one was getting anything like +1 to their save for being in cover against a Barbed Hierodule.
So long story short, the bikes need to die ASAP. With access to a 1cp stratagem to allow them to fall back and shoot they are absolutely terrifying.
Luckily, I got turn 1 and it helped me out a lot. If I had gone 2nd the game might have gone a little bit different but I think the end results would have been the same. Regardless, I made use of my redeploy warlord trait from the new Leviathan rules, strategic adaptation and moved my Barbed Hierodule and Hive Guard into position to shoot at the bikes.
Tyranid Warriors Bio-Weapon bond really came in handy here where they gave a unit +1 to hit. In a Custodes match-up I didn’t realize how good this was even on things like Dimachaerons. With Transhuman and Auspice (stratagem to turn off all re-rolls) being able to hit on a 2+ in melee and in shooting for the Barbed and Hive Guard is just money going into Custodes. My efficiency doesn’t drop too much and I still have access to exploding 6’s with Relentless Flurry if I needed it.
So turn 1, I double move my murder Flyrant as my first big move just because I know that tanglefoot doesn’t work against units that have fly – so again the murder Flyrant comes in huge to ignore invulns and drop fat stacks of damage with Murderous Size for 4-5 damage depending on if I wound on a 6 with Toxic Sacs. Add the warlord trait Rampaging Beast for extra D3 attacks and aggressive surge for another D3 the guy is an absolute monster. For my first punch I moved my Flyrant all the way over to where his bikes were thanks to Hive Commander’s 2nd move with Swarmlord.
This is where it get’s interesting, shooting into the bikes and this was only 3 of them – I dropped 9CP on round two and dedicated both my Hierodule, Hive Guard and Flyrant at a less than 300pt. unit and it just barely killed them off. The Custodes list wasn’t even running the 4+++ for mortals shield host, the Emperor’s Chosen. That’s an incredibly large investment. Luckily the player ran Shadowkeepers so it was a bit better and only gave a -1 to attack in Melee and re-roll wound rolls against characters.
2CP for pathogenic slime on the Barbed Hierodule to increase it’s damage to 3, 1CP for relentless flurry on it for exploding 6’s, 1CP to re-roll a charge, 1CP for breaking through, 1CP for exploding 6’s in melee, 2CP for Single Minded Annihilation and 1CP to re-roll a psychic test.
…and that was to kill off 1 singular unit. Absolutely brutal. I succeeded in killing them off after I used Breaking through with my Flyrant on the unit but man that doesn’t feel good at all. If there were 2-3 squads of bikes all with Dark Lances I don’t see myself winning in that scenario just because I would have to spend 3 turns just focusing them down while everything else does their own thing.
Take into account also a Telemon that can just be placed in with the same access to defensive buffs along with Trajann that’s a big oof for me. Did I mention by the end of my turn Custodes still had 8 or 9 CP to float around with while I only had 1 for the rest of the game to spend on Fight on Death (with +1cp on my turn) or Breaking Through?
Taking down 1 squad of less than 300 points took me about 912pts. of my army and buffs from other units along with 9 command points. To me, that’s a huge problem. We’re now looking at a more mobile, killy and resilient unit than Mortarion when he first dropped at a cheaper price and you can bring 2-3 of them.
Sure, they no longer have obsec – but honestly who cares. If they can kill what’s on an objective regardless then obsec just doesn’t matter at all. Not to mention the beatstick that is Trajann who heroically intervened on my Flyrant so I just spent everything I had to try and kill him off. The Murder Flyrant, with ignoring invulns still only took Trajann down to 3 wounds and thanks to some hot rolls on my part to have him survive he was able to kill off Trajann before finally being taken down.
After getting rid of the bikes, it was smooth sailing from there. It’s just that the bikes are so dang good I don’t see why you would ever leave home without 2-3 squads of them. Game ended up being 61+ – 40~ after Custodes conceded Turn 3 giving a win over to the Tyranids.
Anyways those are my thoughts on the match-up right now. I suspect Custodes to be one of, if not the best army in the game right now with all the tools they have available and with a price drop after LVO they’re looking like absolute monsters.
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